The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games opening ceremony kicked off in splendid conditions as approximately 4,400 athletes paraded from the Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde.
For the first time in the French capital, the Paralympic opening ceremony is being held outdoors, just like the Olympic Games.
The main event is taking place at Place de la Concorde on a perfect summer evening in the city's heart, following a parade from the Arc de Triomphe along the Champs-Elysees.
Organizers expect around 65,000 attendees, with spectators able to view the parade for free before the ticketed open-air event at Place de la Concorde.
The Patrouille de France aerial display team filled the clear skies with blue, white, and red smoke of the Tricolore before the athletes' arrival.
The first of 11 days of sporting action begins on Thursday, marking France's debut as host of the summer Paralympic Games.
Athletes from 184 delegations will compete in 22 Paralympic sports, vying for a total of 549 gold medals in Paris.
Artistic director Thomas Jolly has promised the opening ceremony will be "a spectacle showcasing the Paralympic athletes and the values they embody," with "performances never seen before."
Wheelchair tennis player Lucy Shuker and wheelchair basketball player Terry Bywater will carry the British flag for ParalympicsGB, while sprinter Nantenin Keita and Para-triathlete Alexis Hanquinquant will be the French flagbearers.
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